Red meat and poultry dominate this ranking because their iron binds easily to the proteins that carry oxygen through your blood. Animal tissues contain haem iron, the form your body absorbs with the fewest obstacles. Plant foods hold non-haem iron, which your gut takes up less readily and only when other compounds in the meal do not block it.
Iron concentrates in organ meats, then muscle meats, then leafy greens and legumes. A single ranking cannot show you absorption rates. Two foods with the same iron count per 100 g deliver different amounts to your bloodstream depending on what else you eat alongside them.
Without animal foods, you lose access to haem iron. Plant sources and fortified foods supply non-haem iron instead, which your body absorbs at a lower rate and loses to interference from phytates, tannins and polyphenols in the same meal. Eating vitamin C alongside iron-rich plants improves uptake substantially. Many fortified cereals and plant milks contain added iron in amounts comparable to meat, but absorption remains the limiting factor on a vegetarian or vegan diet.
FDA daily value: 18 mg
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Showing 2001–2050 of 3,584 foods
| # | Food | Category | Per 100 g | % DV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Beans, snap, yellow, canned, regular pack, drained solids | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.90 mg | 5% |
| 2002 | Beans, snap, yellow, canned, no salt added, drained solids | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.90 mg | 5% |
| 2003 | Pineapple juice, frozen concentrate, unsweetened, undiluted | Fruits and Fruit Juices | 0.90 mg | 5% |
| 2004 | Chicory greens, raw | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.90 mg | 5% |
| 2005 | Seeds, breadfruit seeds, roasted | Nut and Seed Products | 0.90 mg | 5% |
| 2006 | Candies, M&M MARS Pretzel Chocolate Candies | Sweets | 0.90 mg | 5% |
| 2007 | Salad dressing, thousand island dressing, reduced fat | Fats and Oils | 0.90 mg | 5% |
| 2008 | Cereals, oats, regular and quick and instant, unenriched, cooked with water (includes boiling and microwaving), with salt | Breakfast Cereals | 0.90 mg | 5% |
| 2009 | Apricots, frozen, sweetened | Fruits and Fruit Juices | 0.90 mg | 5% |
| 2010 | Pie, pumpkin, commercially prepared | Baked Products | 0.90 mg | 5% |
| 2011 | Sauce, pizza, canned, ready-to-serve | Soups, Sauces, and Gravies | 0.90 mg | 5% |
| 2012 | Formulated bar, high fiber, chewy, oats and chocolate | Snacks | 0.90 mg | 5% |
| 2013 | Vitasoy USA, Organic Nasoya Silken Tofu | Legumes and Legume Products | 0.90 mg | 5% |
| 2014 | Cereals, oats, regular and quick, unenriched, cooked with water (includes boiling and microwaving), without salt | Breakfast Cereals | 0.90 mg | 5% |
| 2015 | English muffins, plain, unenriched, without calcium propionate (includes sourdough) | Baked Products | 0.89 mg | 5% |
| 2016 | Andrea's, Gluten Free Soft Dinner Roll | Baked Products | 0.89 mg | 5% |
| 2017 | Beans, kidney, mature seeds, sprouted, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.89 mg | 5% |
| 2018 | Succotash, (corn and limas), frozen, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.89 mg | 5% |
| 2019 | Sweet potato, canned, vacuum pack | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.89 mg | 5% |
| 2020 | Carrots, baby, raw | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.89 mg | 5% |
| 2021 | Beans, snap, green, canned, regular pack, drained solids | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.89 mg | 5% |
| 2022 | Beans, kidney, mature seeds, sprouted, cooked, boiled, drained, with salt | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.89 mg | 5% |
| 2023 | Tomato products, canned, sauce, with mushrooms | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.89 mg | 5% |
| 2024 | Succotash, (corn and limas), frozen, cooked, boiled, drained, with salt | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.89 mg | 5% |
| 2025 | Rolls, gluten-free, white, made with brown rice flour, tapioca starch, and sorghum flour | Baked Products | 0.89 mg | 5% |
| 2026 | English muffins, plain, unenriched, with calcium propionate (includes sourdough) | Baked Products | 0.89 mg | 5% |
| 2027 | Squash, winter, butternut, frozen, unprepared | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.88 mg | 5% |
| 2028 | Oat bran, cooked | Cereal Grains and Pasta | 0.88 mg | 5% |
| 2029 | Pumpkin flowers, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.88 mg | 5% |
| 2030 | Beans, snap, yellow, frozen, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.88 mg | 5% |
| 2031 | Beans, snap, yellow, frozen, cooked, boiled, drained, with salt | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.88 mg | 5% |
| 2032 | Broccoli, leaves, raw | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.88 mg | 5% |
| 2033 | Broccoli, flower clusters, raw | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.88 mg | 5% |
| 2034 | Broccoli, stalks, raw | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.88 mg | 5% |
| 2035 | Pumpkin, flowers, cooked, boiled, drained, with salt | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.88 mg | 5% |
| 2036 | Poi | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.88 mg | 5% |
| 2037 | Soup, vegetarian vegetable, canned, condensed | Soups, Sauces, and Gravies | 0.88 mg | 5% |
| 2038 | Sauce, pesto, ready-to-serve, shelf stable | Soups, Sauces, and Gravies | 0.88 mg | 5% |
| 2039 | Figs, dried, stewed | Fruits and Fruit Juices | 0.88 mg | 5% |
| 2040 | Beverages, UNILEVER, SLIMFAST, meal replacement, regular, ready-to-drink, 3-2-1 Plan | Beverages | 0.87 mg | 5% |
| 2041 | Vitasoy USA Nasoya, Lite Silken Tofu | Legumes and Legume Products | 0.87 mg | 5% |
| 2042 | Pickle relish, sweet | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.87 mg | 5% |
| 2043 | Potatoes, french fried, cross cut, frozen, unprepared | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.87 mg | 5% |
| 2044 | Mustard greens, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.87 mg | 5% |
| 2045 | Peas and onions, canned, solids and liquids | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.87 mg | 5% |
| 2046 | Tomato products, canned, sauce, with herbs and cheese | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.87 mg | 5% |
| 2047 | Waterchestnuts, chinese, canned, solids and liquids | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.87 mg | 5% |
| 2048 | Mustard greens, cooked, boiled, drained, with salt | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.87 mg | 5% |
| 2049 | Salad dressing, french dressing, reduced fat, without salt | Fats and Oils | 0.87 mg | 5% |
| 2050 | Babyfood, juice, prune and orange | Baby Foods | 0.87 mg | 5% |
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